420 Dynamic Sailing

As previously discussed, at Toplevel Sailing, throughout our sail coaching sessions, we believe and encourage our sailors to adopt a dynamic sailing approach in order to maintain speed.

In double handed dinghies (in this example the 420) the boat will be limited by the collapsing kite going downwind.

So the question will be asked what do we do?

Firstly, the sailing team in this video is altering their sailing boat course and minimizing rudder movements by using bow steering and by heeling the boat to leeward causing the boat to luff up, whilst the boat is luffing up the sails are being trimmed for the proper wind angle.

At the right timing the sailors roll the boat to windward while pumping their sails, this accelerates the boat by using three accumulating pumps; the movement of the mast is generating wind over the main sail and the jib, the helm is pumping the main sheet to create a pump, and the crew is pumping the kite to generate a pump. Please note that this is within rule 42, as long as the action is not repetitive!

In the next stage the sailing team will allow the boat to bare away to a dead run, surfing the wave and, again, trimming the angle of the sails to suit the wind angle, making sure to stop baring away before the kite collapses and then luffs up for the next wave.

It takes good team work to turn this into an effective maneuver, the sailors movements must be synced with each other.

NOTE: These movements must NOT be repetitive, but must obey rule 42, which allows you to trim the boat and sails for any changes – waves, wind speed changes and any other needed change of course.

At Toplevel Sailing we take great pride on our team building abilities and a big part of our sail coaching sessions are for breaking up the different aspects of every maneuver and improve every one of them individually before combining them together to develop the team work so the sailors can move as one person in the boat.